What is a Mission Statement?

A mission statement is a formal statement of the core reason why an organization exists. A mission statement is intended to provide a focus for employees, so that they have a core principle upon which to make decisions. To make it easier to remember, a mission statement may be as short as a single sentence, or perhaps a few sentences.

All other planning concepts flow from the mission statement, including strategies and tactics. When confronted with a key decision, an employee should be able to use the mission statement as a reference for how to proceed. Thus, a mission statement that mandates a focus on serving customers in the San Francisco area would prevent a business from expanding outside of that area. Or, a mission statement that mandates a focus on lawn service would prevent a business from expanding into house painting.

How to Use a Mission Statement

A mission statement can also be used in public relations and investor relations, where it is communicated to outsiders to enhance their understanding of the business. Thus, an investor who only wants to invest in domestic businesses might be more willing to invest in a company that has this restriction in its mission statement.

Mission Statement Best Practices

Here are some best practices to keep in mind when constructing a mission statement:

Keep it brief. A mission statement should ideally be a single sentence or a brief paragraph. Avoid jargon, complex language, or lengthy descriptions.
Keep it clear. Make sure the mission is easy to understand. Everyone—from employees to customers—should be able to grasp its meaning.
Make it inspirational. It should reflect the deeper purpose of the organization beyond profits. Why does your organization exist? Why does it matter?
Align it with your core values. The mission should align with the organization’s core values and guiding principles, which serve as the foundation for its actions and culture.
Focus on what makes you unique. Identify what sets the organization apart from others in the same industry, and make sure the mission statement captures this uniqueness.
Make it action-oriented. Phrasing should imply movement or progress rather than being static or passive.
Avoid being overly specific. While it should be specific enough to convey the purpose, avoid tying it to particular products, services, or time-bound goals.
Embed it in the corporate culture. Regularly refer to the mission in meetings, communications, and decision-making processes.
Market the mission. Display the mission statement on your website, marketing materials, and in the workplace to continually reinforce it with internal and external audiences.

Duration of a Mission Statement

A well-crafted mission statement should last for an extended period of time, requiring little change. If the statement is changed regularly, it either means that the original statement was not created with a sufficient amount of thought, or that the management team is ignoring the mission statement in its derivation of strategy. A concern with frequently-revised mission statements is that employees tend to ignore them, under the assumption that they will just be changed again in the near future.